The Ribos Operation - Episode 2

Today’s episode is Tom Baker’s 100^th episode as the Doctor. Sadly the episode is not as great as I would perhaps have liked. The episode’s studio bound setting was something that I thought would help add an atmosphere to the story but sometimes it works against it. I also get the feeling that this story could easily be held on earth because it has a very Russian vibe going on with the incidental music and the design of the sets. I like the fact that there aren’t computers and any futuristic things going on. There is a line that Garron gives when he responds that it will take a few weeks to get a response about something and the Graff Vynda-K reacts normally to it. The episode starts off with Romana about to become a meal of the Shrivenzale. I’ll be honest that I only knew it was called a Shrivenzale because it appears on the information text.

Graff Vynda-K does come across as a rather grown up child. He goes hysterical when talking about how he was betrayed. He is the male version of Queenie from Blackadder 2. Paul Seed is rather good as the Vynda-K and I think that I could easily see Bernard Horsfall play this role. Seed comes across as someone who would jump down your throat just because you asked what time it was. I like the partnership between Garron and Unstoffe. I think that Nigel Plaskitt (Unstoffe) is having a lot of fun with his accents. I mentioned in the previous episode review that double acts/partnerships are Robert Holmes’ calling card and he does it well but I think that Iain Cuthbertson (Garron) and Nigel Plaskitt work well together but I think that this con that they are attempting would make the worst episode of ‘Hustle’.

The thing I didn’t really pick on until the end of the episode is that the Doctor and Romana don’t really have a great deal to do. In fact I can only remember one scene that they had together that seemed to stick in my mind and that wasn’t a particularly spectacular scene. Mary Tamm is allowed to settle into the role and does seem like she’s been playing the role for more than two episodes. Sadly I would expect that Mary Tamm is wondering whether she made the right decision in taking on this role. At the moment, Romana is the only female character in the entire piece. I think that changes in future episodes but its rather worrying that more female characters weren’t introduced.

The way that the episode plods along is a worrying thing considering how much energy seems to have been on show during the course of the previous episode. It was only in the last few minutes that had anything about them. I think that there was too much talking and a lot of sitting down. I want more running and more action. Graham Williams was bought in to make the show less scary than it had been under Philip Hinchcliffe’s era and whilst I can say that the show has benefited from this (though I would like more scary stories), I think that Williams has done a top job as producer and whilst this episode was lacking in excitement I think that the story is holding together.